What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[alwaystj9]

I have an aging zojirushi bread machine and use it regularly. I make bread and pound cake in it weekly, I also make jam in it. Spoiled me away from store bread.

 

[igorsMistress]

I used to make wooden raised beds out of landscaping timber, but as I got older, I wanted higher walls on the raised beds. Buying lumber a few years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic was prohibitive. I think a 2X4 stud was something like $5,000.00 per board! Exaggeration, of course, but the lumber prices went through the roof for a few years.

During that time, I made some 16-inch-high raised beds using wood frames and galvanized metal panels. That saved a lot of money. I used salvaged lumber and bought the metal panels. Total cost per 4X4 bed was about $50.00 compared to the price of an all wood raised bed, at that time, around $200.00.

Picture of raised bed using galvanized metal panels....

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Last year I got into making stuff out of free pallet wood. Now I have built 4 pallet wood raised beds and all I had to buy was the screws and nails for the project.

Picture of free pallet wood raised bed...

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I don't know how long the pallet wood raised beds will last, but certainly longer than plastic sitting out in the sun, and not as long as metal which will last for many years. I expect to get 5 years or more from the pallet wood beds, at which time, I will either replace any rotted wood or just build a new raised bed. After all, the cost is basically free.

Personally, I like the all-pallet wood raised beds better because they are all wood. But the galvanized metal panel raised beds are nice too and saved me a lot of money at the time. Since I started getting into pallet wood projects, almost all my gardening builds are made out of pallet wood.

For comparison, both types of raised beds are 16 inches high and 4X4 feet square. I fill the bottom 8-10 inches with hügelkultur wood and the top 6-8 inches with a mix of topsoil and chicken run compost mixed 1:1 for the growing medium. I have had excellent results in growing food.

Thanks for sharing that info! I have the metal beds now, they’re sitting in the living room waiting for cooler weather. I still have some 2x6 boards we used that I might attach some metal to, or I may just use them stacked on top of each other and pin them with some rebar. Either way, these beds will last a long while, even in our AZ sun!

 

[gtaus]

I have the metal beds now, they’re sitting in the living room waiting for cooler weather.

I know when I built my galvanized steel panel raised beds that there was a question about the metal heating up too much and affecting the growth of the plants. Whereas wood would not heat up as much.

I have not seen any heat problems with using metal in my raised beds, but I live in northern Minnesota. It would be great to get some feedback from you in your AZ sun as to any negative heat effects of metal on the plants. I am not expecting any problems, but there is nothing like real world feedback.

I know there is a YouTuber from Australia that has gone to almost all metal raised beds because they just last so much longer. He has never mentioned any negative heat effects using metal beds. At least, not in any of his videos that I have watched.

 

[igorsMistress]

I know when I built my galvanized steel panel raised beds that there was a question about the metal heating up too much and affecting the growth of the plants. Whereas wood would not heat up as much.

I have not seen any heat problems with using metal in my raised beds, but I live in northern Minnesota. It would be great to get some feedback from you in your AZ sun as to any negative heat effects of metal on the plants. I am not expecting any problems, but there is nothing like real world feedback.

I know there is a YouTuber from Australia that has gone to almost all metal raised beds because they just last so much longer. He has never mentioned any negative heat effects using metal beds. At least, not in any of his videos that I have watched.

That was my concern as well. I purchased the white ones and plan to have the shade trees to help with late afternoon direct sun on the beds. I figure when it’s really hot I’m not growing much anyway so it shouldn’t be a problem for most things. I will definitely report back on the experience though!

I’m thinking about trying three different things in these beds. One as a SIP bed, one with the hugelkulture method and the last with the water cells that go in the bottom. It would be a fun experiment.

 

[gtaus]

That [hot metal] was my concern as well. I purchased the white ones and plan to have the shade trees to help with late afternoon direct sun on the beds. I figure when it’s really hot I’m not growing much anyway so it shouldn’t be a problem for most things. I will definitely report back on the experience though!

If you have a compost thermometer with a long shaft, you could easily stick it alongside the metal, then maybe every inch or so into the bed to see if there is any big temperature difference in the soil where the plants grow. Since I have a long composting thermometer, that idea came to mind. Measuring the soil temperature at different spots inside the raised bed might be more objective than just looking at the plants and trying to determine if they are growing as good as expected.

I don't think you will have a problem, but I have heard that concern raised about metal on raised beds getting hot and heating up the raised bed too high. I would think white metal would reflect more sunshine off than a darker color. Looking forward to your findings when you get something to report.

 

[igorsMistress]

If you have a compost thermometer with a long shaft, you could easily stick it alongside the metal, then maybe every inch or so into the bed to see if there is any big temperature difference in the soil where the plants grow. Since I have a long composting thermometer, that idea came to mind. Measuring the soil temperature at different spots inside the raised bed might be more objective than just looking at the plants and trying to determine if they are growing as good as expected.

I don't think you will have a problem, but I have heard that concern raised about metal on raised beds getting hot and heating up the raised bed too high. I would think white metal would reflect more sunshine off than a darker color. Looking forward to your findings when you get something to report.

That’s a great idea! I was going to look at getting one anyone, it would do double duty. Thanks!!

 

[gtaus]

I’m thinking about trying three different things in these beds. One as a SIP bed, one with the hugelkulture method and the last with the water cells that go in the bottom. It would be a fun experiment.

My best results are from my sub-irrigated elevated planter that I have filled with beans. In a normal summer with average rainfall, I only have to refill the water reservoir maybe once a month. My planter holds about 15 gallons of water in a 2X4 foot planter. This summer, it has been hotter than normal with less rainfall than average, so I have been refilling my planter's water reservoir about twice a month. That's not bad at all because Dear Wife has to water her plants with normal holes in the bottom of the pots like every other day. Too much work for me.

Out in the lawn, I have a number of hügelkultur raised beds and I water them about once a week. The hügelkultur wood really does soak up and retain water for release later to the plants. I have to water them much less frequently than a "normal" raised bed with just soil.

Since I make my hügelkultur beds out of free pallet wood, that system is the most cost effective setup for me. I had to pay some money for a good liner and drainage pipes for the sub-irrigated planter. That adds up fast. So, all my new garden beds are made from free pallet wood and use the hügelkultur system.

I don't know anything about water cells. What is that system? I might like to try that out as well.

I hope you report back with your findings of the experiment on the different methods.

 

[igorsMistress]

My best results are from my sub-irrigated elevated planter that I have filled with beans. In a normal summer with average rainfall, I only have to refill the water reservoir maybe once a month. My planter holds about 15 gallons of water in a 2X4 foot planter. This summer, it has been hotter than normal with less rainfall than average, so I have been refilling my planter's water reservoir about twice a month. That's not bad at all because Dear Wife has to water her plants with normal holes in the bottom of the pots like every other day. Too much work for me.

Out in the lawn, I have a number of hügelkultur raised beds and I water them about once a week. The hügelkultur wood really does soak up and retain water for release later to the plants. I have to water them much less frequently than a "normal" raised bed with just soil.

Since I make my hügelkultur beds out of free pallet wood, that system is the most cost effective setup for me. I had to pay some money for a good liner and drainage pipes for the sub-irrigated planter. That adds up fast. So, all my new garden beds are made from free pallet wood and use the hügelkultur system.

I don't know anything about water cells. What is that system? I might like to try that out as well.

I hope you report back with your findings of the experiment on the different methods.

Of course, I’ll be happy to!

I purchased an “advanced” bed from Vegogarden along with four basic beds. The advanced and two of the basic are 2’ X 8’ X 17” high. The other two are 8” high and going into the shade garden for herbs and flowers. I happened upon a sale, buy one get one 25% off and free shipping. That saved me about $160 off the regular price of the basic beds, plus 25% additional off two vs going to Lowe’s for the same brand!

Anyway, the advanced garden is like a hybrid sip bed and regular raised bed it seems. It has plastic water bowls basically that fit in the bottom and then lids that go on top with some air pruning thing. You fill those with water, cover with soil and plant, then water from the top as usual, but the bowl things collect any excess water that might otherwise run off. I’m a little leery of this so I got just the one. I’m going to add plenty of perlite to the soil that goes in there.

The raised planters you have with the reservoirs are what I know to be SIP beds. Basically an extra large version of what you have is what I want. In my research I was led to believe that about a 16” depth is the best for this method so I should be fine with 17” depth. Plus there’s the mulch, and it will require mulch when temps warm up. I like the idea of being able to monitor the water level easily with this method! I was wondering what you do about fertilizer buildup? Do you fertilize what you grow in there? From the top or the bottom? Do you ever flush the reservoir? These are my main concerns with anything that has a closed bottom so I’m still doing more research on this. While I can change my mind before I do the work

 

[RadEggs]

I recommend thrifting from goodwill, as most thrift stores are expensive. I have gotten some great things, such as a pair of black bat themed platform boots in perfect condition for 12 dollars. Garage sales too. Got a pair of Columbia hiking boots for 3 dollars from one, in good condition. Though in general, if you want good clothing, check out more obscure thrift stores. It is good to not support fast fashion, and you can even find things for under 10 dollars at the right ones. I have a dress that I have got numerous compliments on that I got for 5, and a top quality barley worn leather jacket that I got for 45 (fits perfectley). Sorry of this seems like I am braging, just trying to share how good of deals you can get. These are the boots:

 

[Sally PB]

Also, some brands of Dutch Ovens have lids that are not rated for high oven temps and you have to buy separate high heat knobs for the lids. That would have been an extra expense for me. But the Lodge lid was rated for 500F out of the box.

That's why I got the Lodge one. Mine's red too!

I'm going to buy a bread maker. I want homemade bread. I don't need another mess to clean up

I have two bread machines. One is for my gluten free bread, the other is for DH's bread.

For DH, I had used a recipe a friend gave me. The loaf was a bit too big, so the top of it rose too high and didn't bake well. I had to adjust the recipe. If you need to make adjusments, WRITE down what you do! This is obvious, but I used to think, "Oh, I'll remember this."

I make a note on the recipe card. If it's an improvement, I circle it. If it doesn't seem to solve the problem, I put a line through it, but make sure I can still read it, so I can refer to it later, if needed.

When I have it dialed in, I make a new card.